Imprint Mold and Substrate Shape Matching via Thermal Deformation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional imprint technologies face challenges in maintaining superposition accuracy due to differences in thermal expansion coefficients between molds and substrates, particularly when using quartz molds, leading to deformation issues that affect pattern alignment and size consistency.
Innovation Solution
An imprint apparatus and method that uses light with different wavelengths to create uneven temperature distributions on the substrate, allowing for controlled deformation and alignment of the substrate-side pattern region, using a heating unit to adjust the substrate's shape before curing the imprint material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If heat processing is performed on the substrate to form films, then film formation is achieved, but the substrate expands or reduces causing pattern region deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary thermal deformation to the mold before the imprint process to pre-compensate for the substrate's thermal expansion or reduction. By deforming the mold in advance in the opposite direction of the expected substrate deformation, the mold pattern and substrate pattern regions can be made to match after the substrate undergoes thermal processing, thereby maintaining manufacturing precision while enabling film formation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and shape parameters of the mold by applying external forces or thermal treatment to deform the mold into a target shape that compensates for substrate deformation. This parameter change in the mold's shape allows it to adapt to the substrate's thermal expansion or reduction, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and manufacturing precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If the mold is deformed by applying external force to match the substrate pattern, then shape matching is improved, but Poisson's ratio causes non-linear deformation reducing superposition accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter of the mold by selecting materials with specific Poisson's ratios (preferably between 0.25 and 0.35, or alternatively between 0.05 and 0.20) to achieve more linear deformation characteristics when external forces are applied. This parameter change in material selection allows the mold to deform in a more predictable and linear manner, improving both shape matching and superposition accuracy.
3Manufacturing precision
If the mold is heat-deformed to match the substrate pattern, then shape matching is improved, but thermal expansion coefficient differences cause substrate deformation reducing superposition accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the thermal parameter by selecting mold materials with thermal expansion coefficients that are closer to the substrate material (silicon), specifically recommending materials with thermal expansion coefficients between 1.0 and 5.0 ppm/K. This parameter change reduces the thermal expansion coefficient difference between mold and substrate, preventing excessive substrate deformation during heat-deformation processes and maintaining superposition accuracy while achieving shape matching.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances superposition accuracy by precisely matching the pre-existing substrate pattern with the mold pattern, reducing deformation errors and improving pattern alignment during the imprint process.
Implementation Method 1
a heating unit that heats a partial region of the substrate, the partial region corresponding to the substrate-side pattern region, by irradiating the substrate with light that has passed through the mold
Implementation Method 2
heat the partial region to deform the substrate-side pattern region by forming an uneven temperature distribution on the substrate-side pattern region
Implementation Method 3
After the ultraviolet curable resin is irradiated with ultraviolet light for curing, the cured resin is released from the mold, whereby a resin pattern is formed on the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
An imprint apparatus that forms a pattern of a resin on a substrate that includes a plurality of substrate-side pattern regions by using a mold. The imprint apparatus includes a first mechanism applying a force to the mold to thereby deform a mold-side pattern region of the mold, a second mechanism heating the substrate-side pattern region to generate an uneven temperature distribution within the substrate-side pattern region for deforming the substrate-side pattern region, and obtaining shape difference information between the mold-side pattern region and the substrate-side pattern region, to control a shape of the mold-side pattern region by using the first mechanism based on the obtained shape difference information and controlling such that an uneven temperature distribution is formed in the substrate-side pattern region by using the second mechanism based on the obtained shape difference information.